by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) - Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown's half brother has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison for impersonating a federal law enforcement officer.

Bruce Brown, of Wolcott, Conn., was sentenced Monday in Bridgeport federal court. He pleaded guilty in February to impersonating a law enforcement officer and falsifying a military discharge certificate.

Authorities say Brown was pretending to be a Coast Guard officer when he stopped boaters off the Connecticut coast last year. Prosecutors say Brown had in his car a tactical vest with police insignia and a Transportation Security Administration badge, handcuffs and a police baton.

Brown's attorney asked for home detention, saying he has bipolar disorder.

Scott Brown has said the two are estranged. The Republican lost his Massachusetts seat in 2012 and now is running for Senate in New Hampshire.